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It took Dex several attempts to get the message to sink in.
- What? For real?
- Of course, I'm my own boss and I've got a lot of holidays to catch up on, and besides, your mum can't be that hard to find, can she? Where is she, anyway?
- Tatooine, Mos Espa.
Dex said nothing, but inwardly he was flabbergasted. When the kid mentioned the Boonta Eve, Dex had not understood because many of the competitors were not from the planet and travelled to compete on the circuit just like any other racer. Tatooine, eh? None of their conversations had dwelt on where exactly the boy was from, but... well, Tatooine was not an easy planet for the vast majority of its permanent inhabitants. Most of them were in fact... slaves. Of course that was not the worst of it, mining or sex slaves lived much worse, and they actually had better living conditions than anyone in the slums of Nar Shadda or even just the inhabitants of Coruscant who lived in the lower levels on the surface and for whom the very concept of sky was not considered a real thing, but it was still a pretty bleak environment.
- "Is that a problem?" The teenager asked in a small voice, looking slightly anxious.
- "Ah, you know who you're talking to, kid? It's child's play for me to go over there and no-one will stand in my way, I'm still respected in the business", he reassured the young human with a confident smile.
It was only the truth, Dex still had many contacts, his network was the envy of many, including the people passing through Tatooine and the only population anyone should be wary of. The natives were not a problem as long as you were careful and respectful, the settlers were extremely poor and were too busy surviving the desert and the native tribes to be a danger and the slaves did not even have weapons. No, the only real threats were mercenaries and other criminals, smugglers and slavers of all kinds, but Dex knew he could handle them without any trouble, he had already done so twenty years ago and his build was still massive and impressive in itself for most other species.
The little human's hope pleased him, and his hesitant smile warmed his heart.
- I didn't leave my lightsaber behind when I left, so I can defend us too.
- Ahah, don't do that, we'll find you something else to make you blend in.
Slowly reassured, Anakin allowed himself to be led to his flat above his restaurant and promptly collapsed onto the air mattress that Dex pulled out for him, exhausted by the long day. Gods, he was tiny, the mattress was big enough to hold an adult-sized Besalisk, but even if he was curled up like Dex's species did when sleeping, he left most of the space unoccupied.
Terribly cute for such a threat, because Dex was aware that Anakin was his own brand of mischievous, he had always listened to Obi-Wan when his human friend told him about his impetuous pupil. Obi-Wan... Dex did not know if he was surprised by what was happening or just surprised that it had not happened sooner. The pair was close-knit, but there had always been weaknesses between them, things left unsaid that no amount of formal or informal conversation had tried to resolve. It was as if they had never really tried to understand each other, and sometimes they seemed to be talking about completely different things as their points of view were apart. It was just a reflection of their past experiences that had forged different characters and ideals, but Dex was not a Jedi, he did not care at all that Anakin was stubborn, proud, or had an absolute crush on a pretty human girl from Naboo he had not seen in years.
He was dying to contact him to find out what was going on, to find out what event had triggered a determined and devoted child to suddenly decide that running away was the only solution, but he held back, not without difficulty. He had given his word and he intended to keep it.
He left to take a shower and change into clean clothes and imitated his guest, rolling up into a ball in his nest after throwing a thick blanket over the shivering Jedi.
Sleep did not come quickly to him, and as a result he did not wake very early either, and in fact his eyes only opened because the smell of food wafted through the air.
- Hnnng?
- "Breakfast Dex!" A familiar voice called out with more energy than was decent at this hour.
- Who the hell...
A look put all his thoughts back in place but he forced himself not to act too worried. Anakin was fifteen, was not he? He was independent enough to want to appear strong and self-sufficient, even if he needed support. This was not the time to father him excessively just because he was worried. Anakin was also obviously worried about what was going to happen to him now, Dex was not going to be the one to remind him of his problems as the blond smiled and handed him a huge cup of coffee in his small hands.
- "Thank you", he sighed as he extricated himself from his nest, grabbing his mug to relieve the Jedi of the consequent weight.
Sometimes Dex forgot that he was not physically adequate for most things, but as he reached his small living room he could not help but feel again that deep... inadequacy that all non-humans like himself felt when they left their communities and their species. His regular bowls looked more like salad bowls next to a human, his cutlery seemed like kitchen utensils and he himself felt fat, heavy and clumsy next to the slim, agile little body that slid between the tightly packed furniture.
- "Is something wrong?" Anakin asked as the silence extended. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"
Not so immature or emotionally inept this little one.
- No, just get yourself some plates and cutlery downstairs, you know where it is.
- Yep...
He heard surprisingly heavy footsteps for such a small man on the stairs before they came back even louder, and faster too.
Dex did not remember much about human adolescence, he just hoped they were not as hyperactive as the Besalisk, because if they were, he had a feeling he was in for trouble.
It was no coincidence that Dex did not have any children of his own, he had no desire to spread his attention over the actions of a little being who was too energetic for him.
- Dex?
- What's the matter?
- Where are the keys?
- Behind the door, sorry I forgot.
- You mean in that jar full of blasters and things that look like grenades?
- "They are grenades", he confirmed quietly, "and yes, that jar".
He suddenly realised, through his tiredness and rude awakening, that he might have to do a bit of tidying up to prevent the Padawan from stumbling across things that were literally lethal, but Anakin had already come down and he had a magic sword at his waist that melted metal, so... he was probably already well used to delicate equipment.
All the same, he was at least going to remove the trap he had set to prevent break-ins in the room he used as an office, because until there was proof to the contrary, young Padawans had no resistance to poison. He was not sure that the adult Jedi even had any to be honest, so he was going to be a little over-cautious about this.
Soon the boy was back and they ate quietly, gazing passionately out of the window at the Coruscant air traffic high above them. Although Anakin's gaze wandered several times to the imposing building that was the Jedi Temple, Dex made sure not to give it any thought. He would talk about it in good time.
- Do you want to leave right away or in a few days?
- "I can wait", the young man replied eagerly, accidentally betraying his true feelings with his eagerness.
- "That's not what I asked", he pointed out gently to the boy. "I'm not going to be mean for telling me what you'd prefer, it's me asking, I'm asking to do what's best for you, not to hear the answer that would please me."
- I... I think I'd like to leave today then, if you don't mind. I just... need to get away from all this.
- "Alright, then. We'll get you some more normal clothes first though, these are too out of the ordinary, and like I said we'll get you some more weapons to add to your pathetic Jedi arsenal. You might even pilot if you are interested in it", he added to soften the criticism of the Jedi's lack of weapons that had made the Padawan sit up straight in indignation.
- Really?! Awesome, thank you very much!
Dex did not really feel like a father, but seeing so much enthusiasm and excitement for something so trivial to him, he could sort of understand the appeal. The young people had a naivety and innocence that was nice to have around.
They took off mid-afternoon, and Dex let Anakin manoeuvre his ship as promised after letting him watch everything.
Towards Tatooine.